Applicator tool



Nov. 8, 1966 H. c. HAYNIE 3,283,822

APPLICAI'OR TOOL Filed May 4, 1965 f/jm 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Henry C. Hay/we INVENTOR.

ATTOR/Vi Nov. 8, 1966 Filed May 4, 1965 H. c HAYNIE 3,283,822

APPLICATOR TOOL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Hen/"y C. Hay/we INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,283,822 APPLKCATUR TOOL Henry C. Haynie, 8164 Glenview, Houston, Tex. Filed May 4-, 1965, Ser. No. 453,096 12 Claims. (Cl. 166169) This application is a continuation-in-part of my prior copending application Serial No. 296,203, filed July 19, 1963, entitled Applicator Tool, said application having been abandoned in favor of the present application.

This invention pertains to oil field tools and more particularly to fluid applicators for pipe. The tool is especially suitable for treating, sealing, and coating well tubing, for example, treating with a rust inhibitor or paraflin solvent, sealing or plugging leaks with high density plastic, and coating with a protective plastic.

The principal object of the invention is to provide means to rapidly reduce the length of the tool at the time of withdrawal from the well so that it will be no longer than the length of the tool going into the well, thereby reducing the length of the lubricator or pressure lock needed for insertion and withdrawal of the tool into and out of the well.

Qther objects of the invention are to provide an applicator tool which will be operative for the intended purpose, which is readily adaptable for use with different fluids to be applied, and which can be retrieved from the well with certainty under all situations.

An applicator too-l of the type herein contemplated includes a cylinder or barrel to hold the fluid to be applied, the barrel having nozzles connected to its upper end for spraying the fluid radially out onto tubing within which the barrel has been placed. A piston or plunger in the barrel has its rod extending out of the upper end of the cylinder and connects to a wire line on which the tool is lowered into the well through a lubricator. Initially the plunger is secured to the barrel to prevent relative motion while the tool is lowered into the well, but when the tool is at the desired level the securing means is released by jarring. Then the barrel drops relative to the plunger and causes the fluid to spray out. The tool is lifted during the spraying to cause the fluid to contact different parts of the tubing. To clean the tubing in advance of the spray, a wipe-r, in the form of a rubber washer, is provided above the nozzles. A spreader, also in the form of a rubber washer, is provided below the nozzles to spread out the fluid after it has contacted the tubing.

According to the invention, in order to make the tool readily adaptable for applying fluids of diiierent viscosities, the nozzle ports are formed in screw plugs. To change port size it is only necessary to unscrew the plugs and insert another set having a ditieren-t port size.

Further in accordance with the invention the wiper and spreader are spaced axially from the nozzles. This prevents the wiper from bending over and blocking the nozzles, and leaves enough time for the fluid to adhere to the tubing before the spreader comes over it, thereby preventing the spreader from removing all of the fluid sprayed on to the tubing.

To insure operation of the tool, especially when viscous fluid is to be applied, a sinker is connected to the lower end of the barrel.

To insure ready retrievability of the barrel and sinker in case they should come loose from the rest of the tool these parts are provided with fishing necks.

To provide for rapid reduction of the length of the tool when it is to be removed from the well through the lubricator, the plunger is slidably mounted on the plunger rod so that the latter can be retracted without the necessity of discharging the well liquid from below the plunger while sucking it back in above the plunger.

3,283,822 Patented Nov. 8, 1956 For a detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a vertical section through the upper portion of an applicator tool embodying the invention and FIGURE 2 is a vertical section through the lower part of the tool shown in FIGURE 1.

FIGURES 3, 4 and 5 are elevations partly in section showing the tool in different positions in a well.

Referring to FIGURE 1, at the upper end of the tool is a sub having a solid threaded pin 11 at its upper end for connection to a wire line, a fishing neck 12 having a collar or stop 12A for engagement with a fishing tool, and a lower threaded box 13 having a plurality of fluid bypass ports 14 therein. The wire line connected to pin 11 will be provided at its lower end with a set of jars 15 including a lower part 16 connected to pin 11 and an upper part 17 connected to wire line weight bar 18.

A plunger rod 26 is screwed into the box 13. The rod is hollow providing a fluid passage 21 through the rod,

communicating with ports 14 at its upper end. As will be described, the lower end of the hollow rod communicates with the exterior of the tool at the lower end thereof, thus providing a fluid passage through the whole tool, whereby the tool can be raised and lowered rapidly in the tubing through any fluid therein.

A barrel 3t? radially spaced from the rod 2d and concentric therewith provides a reservoir 31 for applicator fluid. The barrel is closed at its upper end by a plug 32 having a threaded pin at its lower end screwed into the upper end of the barrel. The plug has a central aperture of larger diameter than the outer diameter of rod leaving a fluid passage 33 communicating at its lower end with reservoir 31. The upper end of plug 32 has a pin 34 extending upwardly therefrom, providing an upwardly facing shoulder 35 at the base of the pin.

A nozzle ring rests on shoulder 35. The ring has a plurality of radial ports 41 and around the outer end of each port 41 is a threaded socket 42 within which is screwed a plug 43 having a nozzle port 44 therein. Ports 45 in the pin 34 are aligned with ring ports 41 by a set screw 46. In fact the ring and pin ports may be bored simultaneously with the ring in place and. held in position by the set screw.

When it is desired to change nozzle size it is only necessary to unscrew one set of nozzle plugs 43 and substitute another.

On top of the nozzle ring and around pin 34 is disposed a spacer sleeve 59. On top of the sleeve is disposed a wiper in the form of a rubber washer 51. The latter is held in place by a sub 52 screwed. on to pin 34. Sealing means in the form of an O-ring 53 in groove 54 is disposed between pin 34 and rod 20. The exterior of the sub 52 is formed as a fishing neck 55 including a collar or stop 56 for engagement with a fishing tool.

The wiper washer 51 extends radially outward beyond sleeve 50 far enough to contact the tubing 70. The spacer sleeve 50 is long enough so that if the washer 51 bends downwardly as the tool is elevated during use, the nozzle ports 44 will not be blocked. As is apparent from FIG- URE 1, washer 51 is spaced axially from nozzle ports 45 a distance greater than twice the extent of radial protrusion of washer 51 beyond barrel 50.

Referring now especially to FIGURE 2, there is a plunger means 86 including a suuport 86A screwed to the lower end of rod 20 and a seal means 863. The seal means comprises a sleeve 50C axially slidably mounted on rod 29 above support A. Sleeve 800 has a downwardly flaring conical seating surface SUD adapted to engage and seal with a correlative seat StlE on the support WA. A packing 81 including several sealing material rings is slipped onto the inner end of sleeve 89B against shoulder 82 formed thereon. A ring 83 is screwed onto the upper end of sleeve 8013 to retain packing 81 in place.

The lower end of barrel 30 is closed by plug 9h having a threaded pin 91 on its upper end screwed onto the the lower end of barrel 30. The plug has a central aperture 92 into which extends tension bar 93 integrally connected to the lower end of support 89A. A plurality of balls 94 disposed in ports 94A extending radially through plug 90 engage the sides of annular groove 948 in pin 95 that extends down from tension bar 93. A split spring ring 94C surrounding pin 95 urges balls 94 inwardly into groove 94B. This prevents relative motion of plunger 80 and barrel 30 until the tool has been jarred sufliciently to overcome spring 94C and force balls 94 out of groove 94B.

The lower end of plug 90 is provided with a pin 95 forming a shoulder 96 at the base of the pin. A spreader in the form of a rubber washer 97 is held against shoulder 99 by nut 93. The spreader is thus spaced axially from the nozzle ring 4-1) by the length of barrel 3%. This gives the fluid sprayed into the tubing from the nozzle ring a chance to adhere to the tubing before being engaged by the spreader as the tool is pulled up the tubing during use.

=Below nut 98 the pin 95 is provided with radial ports 99. The tension bar 93 is hollow forming a fluid passageway ltltl therethrough, communicating with the passage 21 in rod 20 and placing the lower end of passage 21 in communication with the exterior of the tool below spreader 97. There is thus provided fluid bypass passage means through the too-l from above the wiper to below the spreader.

To the lower end of pin 95 is secured a sinker 111 A- fishing neck 1 11 including a stop collar 112 is formed at the top of sinker 110. A threaded pin 113 at the upper end of the fishing neck is screwed onto a socket 114 formed in the lower end of pin 95. Sinker 110 may have a weight of around 25 pounds. This is enough to overcome high viscosity application fluids.

Referring now to FIGS. 3, 4 and the use and operation of the tool will be described. In FIGURE 3 the tool indicated generally at 124} is shown in position inside lubricator 121, having been admitted through stufliing box 122 andthe latter replaced to pack off around wire 123. The wire line passes up over sheave 124, rotatably mounted at the top of the lubricator, and thence down- Wardly and under sheave 125 anchored to the lower end of the lubricator by chain 136. The wire line continues on to. a power drum or winch (not shown) from and onto which it is unwound and wound to lower and raise the tool. The lubricator may, for example, be of the type shown in U.S. Patent Number 3,076,503 issued Feb. 5, 1963 on the application of E. N. Jones.

The lubricator is mounted on top of a safety wire line valve 130. The safety valve may, for example, he of the type shown in the l94647 Composite Catalogue of Oil Field and Pipeline Equipment, at page 2737 as being offered for sale by OMSCO, including two pivotally mounted semi-circular valve closures 131, 132 cut out centrally to. close around the wire line and seal therewith. The safety valve 130 is mounted on top of the Christmas tree manifold 135 above master valve 136. The latter is disposed on top of adapter spool 137 above tubing head 138. Well tubing 139 is suspended from tubing head 138. It will be noted that the lower part of the tool, namely sinker 110, extends down into the tree. The plunge-r rod 20 is retracted into the barrel 30.

With the parts disposed as shown in FIGURE 3 and reservoir 31 containing applicator fluid, the applicator is lowered into the well tubing tobe treated. When the applicaor is at the bottom of the part of the tubing to be treated, the balls 94 are released from groove 94B by jarring. It is to be understood that in the jarring operation the jars 15, conventional in wire line operations, are actuated to strike downwardly, thereby moving sub 10 sharply while the inertia of barrel 3%) and sinker 119 tends to keep them stationary, resulting in balls 94 being driven out of groove 94B. Thereupon the sinker 110 and barrel 39 begin to drop relative to the plunger means causing the applicator fluid to spray out through the nozzle ports 454. This is the position shown in FIGURE 4 wherein the Well casing is indicated at 141 the lower end of which is cemented at 141 near the producing formation. While the fluid is spraying out, the applicator is lifted with the wire line so that the fluid sprays over the surface of the well tubing from the starting level on up until the spray is all gone. The wiper 51 cleans the tubing in advance of the spray and the spreader 97 smooths out the fluid sprayed onto the tubing.

When the spraying operation is completed, the applicator is pulled to the surface with the wire line. This is the position shown in FIGURE 5. The upper end of barrel 39 is captured between the safety valve closure members 131, 132. It is apparent that because plunger rod 29 is extended out of barrel 30, the overall length of the tool is too great to be received within the lubricator above valve 130. For example, the length of the sinker may be 3 feet, the barrel 10 feet, the plunger rod 10 feet, the extended jars 2 feet (18 inches when retracted), and a three foot weight bar 18 will usually be needed above the jars. This totals 28 feet compared with the 24 foot length of a conventional lubricator. However, with the barrel captured as shown, the wire line can be released and the plunger rod 29 will drop back into the barrel, the seal means 393 of the plunger means being left behind near the top of the barrel While the support 89A moves down With the plunger rod. When the rod 26 drops all the way back to the FIGURE 3 position, the balls 94 move into recess 94B and the rod is locked to the barrel. The overall length of the tool in this retracted condition is then about 18 feet which is such that it can easily be drawn up into the lubricator with the wire line and the safety valve 139 closed on the wire line. The stufling box 122 can then be removed and the tool retrieved. The tool can then be taken apart, cleaned, and reassembled with additional applicator fluid in the reservoir.

The present invention lies in the addition of a sinker to the barrel, and the provision of a fishing neck on the barrel as well as on the plunger rod and sinker, and the particular construction of the nozzles mounted at the upper end of the barrel and in their relationship to the wiper and spreader, and in the slidable mounting of the seal means of the plunger means, the advantages of which have been pointed out above. If the barrel breaks loose from the plunger rod, the fishing neck 55 and stop 56 provide for easy retrieval. If the entire tool is dropped in the well, it will automatically move to the FIGURE 3 retracted position, making it easier to fish out of the well. The nozzle ports 43 are readily adjustable to both viscous and thin fluids, the sinker insures that the barrel drops relative to the plunger even with viscous fluids, the spreader position insures satisfactory operation even with thin fluids, and the wiper position allows adequate standoff distance between tool and tubing without the nozzles being blocked by the wiper bending over. The slidable relationship of the plunger seal means and plunger rod allows the tool to be quickly restored to retracted position prior to removal from the well so that it can be used with a lubricator of conventional length while maintaining maximum length of barrel and fluid reservoir.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, many modifications thereof can be made by one skilled in the art without departing from the invention. That being claimed is:

1. An applicator tool comprising a barrel,

a piston in said barrel a piston rod reciprocable in said barrel,

said rod extending out the upper end of the barrel,

means adjacent the lower end of said rod for sealingly supporting said piston on said rod, said piston having a sliding fit on said rod,

means sealing between the barrel and the rod adjacent the upper end of the barrel,

releasable means for holding the rod disposed with the piston supporting means at the lower end of the barrel,

nozzle means at the upper end of the barrel communicating between the interior of the barrel and the space exterior thereto, and

means at the upper end of the rod adapted to be engaged by means for raising and lowering the applicator tool.

2. An applicator tool for applying treatment fluids to the interior of a well pipe comprising a cylinder top and bottom closures for said cylinder,

a piston in said cylinder reciprocable between said closures,

a piston rod reciprocable in said cylinder and slidable through said top closure and extending thereabove,

means on the lower end of said piston rod sealingly engaging the lower end of said piston and supporting said piston so as to carry it upwardly when the piston rod is moved upwardly in said cylinder,

said piston having packing closely engaging the interior of said cylinder and a relatively loose fit around said rod so that the rod may be moved downwardly in said cylinder without carrying the piston with it,

releasable means on said cylinder and said rod for holding the rod disposed with the piston engaging means at the lower end of the cylinder,

nozzle means at the upper end of the cylinder communicating between the interior of the cylinder and the space exterior thereto, and

means at the upper end of the rod adapted to be ento the interior of a well pipe comprising:

a cylinder for containing said treatment liquid adapted to hang substantially freely in said well pipe,

a plurality of nozzles adjacent the upper end of said cylinder providing communication between the interior of the cylinder and the exterior thereof,

a piston axially slidably disposed in said cylinder adapted to force said treatment liquid out through said nozzles upon downward movement of said cylinder relative to said piston,

a piston rod reciprocable in said cylinder and said piston, said rod extending out the upper end of said cylinder, and

means on said piston rod adapted to sealingly engage and support the lower end of said piston.

4. An applicator tool for applying a treatment liquid to the interior of a well pipe comprising a cylinder for containing said treatment liquid adapted to hang substantially freely in said well pipe,

a plurailty of nozzles adjacent the upper end of said cylinder providing communication between the interior of the cylinder and the exterior thereof,

a piston in said cylinder adapted to force said treatment liquid out through said nozzles upon downward movement of said cylinder relative to said piston,

a piston rod reciprocable in said cylinder and said piston and extending out the upper end of said cylinder, said piston having packing closely engaging the interior of said cylinder and a relatively loose fit around said rod,

an upwardly facing conical shoulder on said rod, and

a corresponding downwardly facing conical surface on said piston,

cluding a fluid bypass for well fluids extending longitudinally through said rod. 6. An applicator tool as defined by claim 5 and includ- 10 ing an annular wiper ring around said cylinder above the nozzle and an annular spreader ring around said cylinder below the nozzle.

'7 An applicator tool comprising a cylinder,

a plurality of openings in the wall of the cylinder adjacent one end,

a piston in said cylinder having packing thereon close- 1y engaging the interior of said cylinder,

a piston rod reciprocable in said cylinder and in said piston, said rod extending out said one end of the cylinder, and

means on said piston rod adapted to support and sealingly engage the end of said piston opposite said one end.

8. An applicator tool as defined by claim 7 and including annular wiper rings around said cylinder on opposite sides of said openings, and

a fluid bypass through said piston rod and the other end of the cylinder.

9. An applicator tool for applying treatment liquid to the interior of a vertical well pipe comprising a cylinder for containing said treatment liquid adapted to hang substantially freely in said well pipe,

top and bottom closures for said cylinder,

a plurality of nozzles adjacent the top closure providing communication between the interior of the cylinder and the exterior thereof,

a piston in said cylinder reciprocable between said closures,

said piston having packing thereon closely engaging the interior of said cylinder so that the piston cannot fall of its own weight in the cylinder,

a tubular piston rod reciprocable in said cylinder and slidable through said top closure and extending thereabove, said piston rod having a relatively loose fit in said piston,

an upwardly facing conical shoulder near the lower end of said piston rod,

a corresponding downwardly facing conical surface on the lower end of said piston adapted to sealingly engage the shoulder on said rod, and

releasable means on said cylinder and said rod for bold ing the rod with its lower end near the lower end of the cylinder.

1G. An applicator tool comprising a barrel, a plunger, a plunger rod, said plunger being axially slidably mounted on said plunger rod, means on the rod for supporting the plunger and sealing therewith, said plunger rod and plunger being reciprocable in the barrel, said rod extending upwardly above the plunger and out the upper end of the barrel, jar means connected to the upper end of the rod, said jar means including relatively reciprocable links and a weight bar, means sealing between the barrel and rod adjacent the upper end of the barrel, releable and re-engageable means for holding the plunger rod disposed with the plunger supporting means at the lower end of the barrel,

nozzle means at the upper end of the barrel oommnnitherefrom, spreader means extending around the tool disposed adjacent the lower end of the barrel, and

a sinker below said releasable means connected to the lower end of said barrel and operable upon release of said releasable means to lower said barrel relative to said :plunger,

said rod being retractable into said barrel while the plunger remains at the top of the barrel after said barrel has dropped relative to said plunger, thereby reducing the length of the tool its minimum length.

11 An applicator tool for applying fluids of dififerent viscosities to the interior of well pipes comprising a barrel having an upper end and a lower end,

a plunger in said barrel extending upwardly through the upper end of the barrel,

a plunger in said barrel, said plunger and rod being reciprocable in said barrel, said plunger being mounted on said rod and supported at a portion of said rod for upward movement in the barrel with the rod,

means sealing between the barrel and rod adjacent the upper end of the barrel,

releasable means for holding the plunger rod disposed with its plunger supporting portion at the lower end of the barrel,

nozzle means adjacent the upper end of the barrel communicating between the interior of the barrel and the space exterior thereto,

wiper and spreader means extending around the barrel and disposed respectively above and below said nozzle means,

a sinker below said releasable means releasably connected to the lower end of said barrel and operable upon release of said releasable means to lower said barrel relative to said plunger and force fluid in said barrel to spray out of said nozzle means at a rate dependent on the weight of the selected sinker,

said nozzle means including socket means communicating with the exterior of said barrel and adapted to receive and releasably hold selected ported plug means suited to the viscosity of the fluid to be applied,

said wiper means including an annular flexible resilient washer protruding radially from said barrel and spaced axially above said nozzle means a distance greater than twice the distance of radial protrusion of said washer beyond said barrel to provide a clear path for even widely diverging sprays of fluid from said nozzle means to strike said interior of a well pipe in which the tool is used even when said washer is flexed over against the side of said barrel,

said spreader means being disposed adjacent the lower end of said barrel to provide time for said sprays of fluid to adhere to said interior walls sufficiently to prevent complete removal thereof when said spreader means passes thereover.

12. Combination according to claim 11,

fluid passage means through said plunger rod from adjacent the lower end thereof to adjacent the upper end thereof,

a sub connected to the upper end of said plunger rod providing fluid port means placing the upper end of said fluid passage means in communication with the space exterior to said tool above said barrel,

said sub having connection means at the upper end thereof for making connection to jarring means,

a first fishing neck on said sub beneath said connection means, and

a second fishing neck on said barrel below said sub.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 200,144 2/1878 McCormick 166 177 719,004 1/1903 Hoffman 16644 2,327,051 8/1943 Lyons et a1 166 222 2,504,397 4/1950 Dickson 166-222 2,563,284 8/1951 Seay 166 2,941,500 6/1960 Adams 16667 CHARLES E. OCONNELL, Primary Examiner.

IACOB L. NACKENOFF, Examiner.

I. A. LEPPINK, Assistant Examiner. 

1. AN APPLICATOR TOOL COMPRISING A BARREL, A PISTON IN SAID BARREL A PISTON ROD RECIPROCABLE IN SAID BARREL, SAID ROD EXTENDING OUT THE UPPER END OF THE BARREL, MEANS ADJACENT THE LOWER END OF SAID ROD FOR SEALINGLY SUPPORTING SAID PISTON ON SAID ROD, SAID PISTON HAVING A SLIDING FIT ON SAID ROD, MEANS SEALING BETWEEN THE BARREL AND THE ROD ADJACENT THE UPPER END OF THE BARREL, RELEASABLE MEANS FOR HOLDING THE ROD DISPOSED WITH THE PISTON SUPPORTING MEANS AT THE LOWER END OF THE BARREL, NOZZLE MEANS AT THE UPPER END OF THE BARREL COMMUNICATING BETWEEN THE INTERIOR OF THE BARREL AND THE SPACE EXTERIOR THERETO, AND MEANS AF THE UPPER END OF THE ROD ADAPTED TO BE ENGAGED BY MEANS FOR RAISING AND LOWERING THE APPLICATOR TOOL. 